THE MAEOONS. 157 



Bolas a name not unknown to us having placed him as 

 colonel at the head of a black regiment, and sent the black 

 regiment against the Maroons proper those who affected 

 the independent form of life great hopes of success were 

 nurtured. All in vain. The black Don with his regiment 

 fell into ambush, and was cut to pieces. Thence, for forty 

 years, the Maroons had it all their own way with the English. 

 Not the slightest impression was made upon them ; and, when 

 opportunity happened, they murdered every white that came 

 in their way man, woman, or child. 



In forty years, forty-four Acts of Assembly were passed, 

 and two hundred and forty thousand pounds spent for sup- 

 pressing the Maroons, yet were they not suppressed. On 

 the contrary, in 1730 they were grown so formidable, under 

 an able general named Cudjoe, that the colony had to be 

 strengthened against them by the addition of two regiments 

 of regular troops. Regular soldiers never seemed to be of 

 much avail in Maroon warfare. The mountain negroes, 

 though they generally managed to get the better of troops 

 sent against them, were not and are not a race of preeminent 

 fire-eaters. They did not like, and do not like, fighting for 

 fighting's sake. Their favourite practice was to disperse in 

 small parties, penetrate to the settlements of the whites, burn, 

 massacre, and otherwise destroy ; and so did they continue to 

 gain strength and consequence, until, by 1733, their depre- 

 dations had become intolerable. Then, as a memorial from 

 the legislature of Jamaica set forth, the Maroons had, within 

 a few years, greatly increased, notwithstanding all the mea- 

 sures that had been concerted and made use of for their sup- 

 pression; that they were the great terror of his Majesty's 

 subjects in those parts, who had severely suffered by the 

 frequent robberies, murders, and depredations committed by 

 them; that they plundered all around them, causing several 

 plantations to be thrown up and abandoned ; and in the same 

 strain the memorial went on. Government responded, and 



